HSE Specialist (Health Safety & Environmental) (Danville, VA) 

AeroFarms, the commercial leader in Vertical Farming is building the largest indoor vertical farm in the world in Danville Virginia! (We already have the Guinness world record for this in 2022 – this new farm is 4 times the output of that farm!) This flagship greenfield facility will service our growing customer base in the Mid-Atlantic Region once operational in 2022. This is an opportunity to help with the scaling of one of the most exciting AgTech Companies in the world (We won #1 spot in the Global Food Tech 500 list – 3 years in a row!)

At AeroFarms we are Non-GMO and use zero herbicides, fungicides, pesticides of any kind, along with using 95% less water compared to conventional agriculture and can grow the best leafy greens 365/24/7 without worrying about seasons!

The world needs our help. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on the planet with less arable land than ever before. We need a solution to cultivate more using less and define the future of farming for generations to come. In 2004, AeroFarms began transforming agriculture with humans and our planet at the forefront. 

In 2022 AeroFarms is embarking on rapid growth in North America, with 20 current patents, 60 pending patents, and 200 invention disclosures, AeroFarms agriculture technology continues to grow unprecedented sustainable products, delivering elevated flavor, taste, experience, quality, access, and unmatched nutrition to you. 

Here’s how we’re growing the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity: 

• Researching and understanding plants to be better, more intuitive farmers 

• Elevating local communities by increasing access to nutritious, high-quality, consistent, and safe products in a way that’s better for you and the planet 

• Protecting and sustaining our environment for future generations 

• Pioneering consistent, and scalable indoor vertical farming food safety & traceability practices, and manufacturing standards 

• Building and deploying state-of-the-art automated indoor vertical farms across the country using the latest technological advancements available today. 

• Investing in our AeroFarms humans and fostering our diverse company culture of inclusion, equity, excellence, teachability and curiosity 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPX7ZS0wqWI 

As AeroFarms approaches our next phase of explosive growth, we seek out creative, motivated humans who will join us in disrupting industry standards and lead the way in vertical farming, artificial intelligence, and plant biology breakthroughs to solve, and tackle global issues. 

If a team of 200 intellectually curious and caring humans, expansive global operations, and our change-the-world mission resonates with you, apply today: 

Job Description 

The EHS Specialist reports to the Risk and Safety Manager. As EHS Specialist, you are responsible for ensuring that the workplace is free from serious safety and health hazards. You will perform daily Safety team walkthroughs, update safety logs, report incidents, identify and communicate corrective actions. This position provides technical safety and health support to production and corporate personnel at our brand new farm in Danville, Virginia. This position ensures that the company is in compliance with all OSHA employer requirements and regulations. 

Responsibilities: 

• Ensures that the workplace is monitored and is fully in compliance with all applicable OSHA standards and regulations to maintain safety in all facilities. 

• Champions safety training needs for all required staff, including coordinating training with outside vendors and other educational seminars as necessary.

• Provides technical safety and health support and information to production and corporate personnel. 

• Communicates and leads written safety, health programs and policies.

• Read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Write routine reports and correspondence. Speak effectively before groups of customers or employees. 

• Participating in workplace safety and health planning meetings. 

• Conduct risk assessments, JSA and risk mitigation evaluation. 

• Ensuring managers and supervisors have the appropriate safety and health; accident prevention; and investigation training. 

• Audits, practices, and records manufacturing plants to ensure compliance with company programs and federal/state occupational safety and health regulations. 

• Creates and supports a positive, professional, team-oriented, harassment-free work environment by understanding and complying with the company’s policies. 

• Continuously monitors the workplace for hazardous safety and health conditions. 

• Ensures safety and health hazards are corrected, eliminated, or guarded. 

• Assesses engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) on an on-going basis. 

• Assists in the investigation of accidents and perform RCA. 

• Investigates all close calls and other safety-related incidents that have occurred within the accident area. 

• Ensures the results of safety inspections are documented; monitoring the investigation of accidents and injuries; ensuring that corrective actions are taken; and providing recommendations for ways to prevent similar accidents. 

• Ensures that all accident reports are recorded in a timely, complete, and accurate manner.

You Have:  

• 5 years experience in Safety industry
• An uncompromising commitment to safety
• OSHA 30 Hour Certification (General Industry). 
• Expertise in OSHA compliance, guidelines, and practices. 
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence across all levels of an organization. 
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite. 
• Excellent attention to detail, problem analysis and problem resolution. 
• Must be able to work all shifts and will be on call 24 hours a day for emergency situations 

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice. 

Personal Attributes 

• Collaboration - we know we cannot fix the worlds problems as an individual, we have to work together as a team to make that happen. Teamwork is how we get there!

• Communication - we are a small company (in relative terms -– 200 employees), we work well together because we communicate well with each other. You must demonstrate why our mission is important to you: everyone who works at AeroFarms has a strong link to the mission: we want to hear why it means something to you! 

• Agility - What we do has never been done before: we are an innovation company, there is no right or wrong way to do things, we constantly develop how we operate, we can always elevate what we are doing and never claim to have it right.

• Accountability - we don’t micromanage, we hire individuals who know what they need to do and can do so with minimal direction and take ownership of their projects and deadlines.

• Respect - We are already starting our journey scaling around the world: we want our team to represent every kind of individual out on plant earth and we need to respect different people, different ideas, different cultures etc. We can learn so much from each other, but respect is key 

• Empowerment - we provide an environment for growth and development: we need your help to develop our business, we will help you develop in your career, and sky is the limit given our growth plans!!